Gripping device



- J. F. MOODY.

GRIPPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 050.11, 1920.

Patented. July 111, 1922..

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J. F. MOODY.

GRIPPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED 050.17. 1920.

Patented Jilly H, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET Z- Howdy.

I. F. MOODY.

GRIPPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FLLED DECJT, 1920."

1 4122528, Patented July 111, 1922.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH F MOODY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ranger, in the county of Eastland and State of Texas, haveinvented'new and useful Improvements in Gripping Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus or appliances employed in connectionwith well drilling machinery for gripping the casing sections, pipes,etc., as they are being raised or lowered, and the inventionhas for itsobject to provide a novel and improved means for holding a section whileanother section is being coupled or uncoupled.

The invention also has for its object to provide a means which operatesautomatically to grip the pipe, casing or the like in the event of thesame starting to go down too fast while being run in.

Other objects and advantages of the in vention will be pointed out inthe detaileddescription appearing hereinafter, and in order that theinvention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a centrallongitudinal section thereof; Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 ofFig. 2.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the supporting frame of theapparatus is composed of laterally spaced, parallel side walls 5, andcross walls 6 connecting'the same at their ends, said side and end wallsbeing rigidly connected inany suitable manner. This frame is supportedon cross beams 7 at the top of the usual cellar 8 beneath the floor 9 ofthe derrick, and it is fastened down on said cross beams by hook bolts10.

Intermediate its ends, the supporting frame carries two spaced crossmembers 11 and 12, the same being secured by transverse bolts 13 passingthrough the side walls 5, the latter also having inturned bottomSpecification of lLetterslatent.

art as slips, the same being arranged in a circular series so that thepipe or casing sections may pass therethrough. The opening 17 has adownward taper and the slips 18 are slldable therein, and hence whenthey move downwardly in said opening they are crowded inwardly to gripthe pipe or casing, whereas when they move upwardly they recede andrelease the latter.

The slips 18 are suspended by chains 19 or. other suitable connections,from a ring 20, and between this ring and the top of the slips islocated a ring 21, the same being supported by the chains and serving tohold the slips in a circular series, Each slip is suspended from thering 20 by a chain 19, and between said ring and the top of the sllp islocated a spring 22, the latter being coiled around the chain. The ring21 is splitand has a normal tendency to expand, whereby it holds thechains 19 spread to keep the sllps in contact at their outer surfacewith the wall of the opening 17 when in non-gripplng position, the slipsnow extending only partly into the opening. Upon lowering the slips inthe opening 17 they grip the pipe or casing as hereinbefore described.The springs 22 assist the downward movement of the slips when thesupporting ring 20 is lowered.

I The ring 20 is carried by two vertical and diametrically oppositesupporting stems 23 passlng through openings 24 in the base 16, andconnected at their lower ends, below said base, to levers 25 which arepivotally,

supported intermediate their ends by the walls 5, the arrangement beingsuch that when the levers are swung the stems 23 move upwardly ordownwardly and thus elevate or lower the ring 20 to raise or lower theslips 18. As shown in Fig. 1, the levers 25 have lateral bends 26intermediate their ends which pass through apertures in the walls 5,whereby the pivotal support of the levers is had. The outer ends of thelevers 25 have a connecting portion 27' so that they may operatetogether.

To the levers 25 are connected springs 28 for swmging the same in adirection to move the stems 23 downwardly to lower the ring 20 and allowthe slips 18 to come to grippin position. The levers 25 are normally helin a position in which the ring 20 is elevated and supporting the slips18 in nongripping position. This holding means is a counterweight 29carried by a suspension Patented July 111, 1922.

Application filed December 17,1920. Serial No. 431,443.

line 30 hungon a trigger 31 ivoted to an arm 32 extending forwardly romthe conthe line 30 to slip off, and as the levers 25 are now free of thecounterweight 29, the springs 28 operate to swing the levers in adirection to allow the slips 18 to come to gripping position, It will beunderstood of course, that the weight 29 is heavy enough to overbalancethe tension of the springs 28. The line 30 is positioned to allow theweight to drop into the cellar 8 when said line slips off the releasedtrigger 31. The floor 9 has a hole throu h which the line 30 passes.

matically cause the pipe or, casing to be gripped by the slips 18 if itshould start to go down too fast while being run in, and to accomplishthis, the detent 33 is controlled by a speed-responsive device which isdriven by the descending pipe or casing. This mechanism will now bedescribed.

Between the side walls 5 are located two cross frame members 35 and 36respectively which are spaced so as to be located on opposite sides ofthe plane of the opening These frame members are slidably supported bythe walls 5, so that they may be moved toward and from each other, thesupporting means being the flanges 14 and outstanding ribs 37 on theinner surfaces of the walls 5. The adjustment of the frame members iseffected by turn-buckle rods 38. The ad justing rods 38 of the framemember 35 are carried by the cross member 11, and the adjusting rods 38of the frame member 36 are carried by a slidable cross head 39 supportedb the walls 5 between the flanges 14 and gui e ribs 40 on said walls.The last mentioned adjusting rods pass through openings in the crossmember 12. The cross head 39 is backed by springs 41 positioned betweenthe same and the adjacent end wall 6. The walls 5 support a transverseshaft 42 having a crank bend 43 behind the crosshead 39. One end of theshaft 42 has on the outside of the corresponding wall 5 a hand leverextension 44. The purpose of'the slidable cross-head 39 will bepresently made clear.

The frame member 35 carries a horizontal shaft 45 on which are looselymounted two frusto-conical rollers 46 which are corrugatedcircumferentially. The shaft 45 is supported inbearings 47 on the member35. The rollers 46 are placed so that their smaller ends face eachother, and on the shaft 45 are set collars 48 engageably by the outerends of the rollers to limit the spread thereof.

On the' frame member 36 are bearings 49 supporting a shaft 50 carryingrollers 51 similar to the rollers 46 and also held adjusted by setcollars 52. That portion of the shaft 50 'on which the rollers 51 aremounted is squarein cross-section so that said rollers and the shaft mayrotate together.

The frame members 35' and 36 are to be adjusted by the rods 38 to locatethe rollers 46 and 51 on opposite side of the pipe or casing section 53which is to be run in, as shown in Fig. 4. The rollers will also beadjusted by the set collars 48 and 52 according to the diameter of thepart 53 so as to properly engage the same. If now the pipe or casingsection 53 is lowered, its frictional engagement with the rollers 46 and51 will cause the latter to rotate, and the shaft 50 A to turn. It isthe o ject of the invention to auto- The shaft 50 is geared to acentrifugal governor, andthe latter controls a drum 54 on which isadapted to be 'wound a line 55 which is connected to the detent 33'totripv the same and release the trigger 31 so that the weight 29 may dropand allow the levers 25 to swing to lower the slips 18 to grippingposition as hereinbefore described. The governor consists of thefollowing parts:

The frame member 36 supports an up- I right tubular shaft 56 throughwhich passes a shaft 57 carrying the drum 54. On shaft 56 is a bevelgear 58 which is in mesh with V a bevel gear 59' on a shaft 60 having apinion 61 which is in mesh with a spur gear 62 on the shaft 50, wherebythe motion of the latter shaft is transmitted to the shaft 56. .The drumshaft 57 projects from the top of shaft 56 and is her'e fitted with twocooperating clutch members 63 and 64, the

former being fast on the drum shaft and the latter loose and slidable onsaid shaft. The supporting arms 65 of the governor balls 66 are pivotedto the slidable clutch mem-- ber 64 and connected by links 67 to theshaft 56. The outward movement of the governor balls 66, in response toan increase in speed of the shaft 56 driven by shaft 50, causes theclutch member 64 to slide down and engage clutch member 63, and as theclutch member 64 also rotates owing to the connections 67 between thearms 65 and the shaft 56,-the shaft 57 now turns in a direction to windthe line on the drum 54, thereby tripping the latch 33. The slips 18.immediately descend and grip the descending pipe or casing 53 and stopthe same.

As the frame member 36 is held pressed forwardl by the springs 41 it canyield to" permit the passage of coupling sleeves or collars on the pipeor casing 53.

The rollers 46 and 51 can also be used for gripping the pipe or casing53 when a sec- 126 tion above the same is to be screwed on or memesmaterially assisting the gripping action. The

cross head 39 is advanced as stated by rocking the shaft 42 in adirection to cause its crank ortion 43 to force the cross head forwar lthe shaft being operated'in this manner by the hand lever 44. The wall 5carries a stop abutment 68 for the hand lever 44' to prevent the latterfrom being swung over far'enough to back the crank away from the crosshead 39 Associated with the gripping mechanism hereinbefore described isa turn-table69 for rotating the pipe or casing section to be a-triggercarried by the lever "and supporting the suspension means, a detentengageable with the trigger for holding the same in position to supportthe suspension means, and a speed responsive means for disengaging thedetent from the trigger.

5. In a well-drilling appliance, work gripping means, a support for saidgripping means movable to place the same in operative and inoperativepositions, a lever for operating said support, a spring for swinging thelever in a direction to move the support in a direction to place thegripping means screwed on or unscrewed. The turn-table\in operativeposition, a counterweight op- 69 is mounted on a bed plate 70 seating onthe base member 16, said bed plate having an upstanding hub 71 on whichthe turntable rotates. The turn-table has the usual annular rack 72 forengagement by a drive L driven from any suitable power source. The

upper end of the hub 71 carries a retaining plate 76 fitting over thetop of the turntable 69. The central opening in the turntable hub 71 isin alinement with the opening 17 and stems 23 pass therethrough.

Any suitable means may be provided for making the pipe or casing sectionto be rotated st to the turn-table 69. The drawing ShOWlS a bail 77which is to be swung up and snubbed to said section. When not in use,the bail 77 is dropped to seat'ofi top of the turn-table as shown inFig. 1, clear of the work and the slips.

Upward movement of the slips 18 is limited by chains 78 connected totheir lower ends and fastened to the base member 16.

I claim:

1. In a well-drilling appliance, a work gripping means, and meanscontrolled by speed of descentof the work for placing the grlpping meansin operative position. v

2. In a well-drilling appliance a work gripping means whose actuation iscontrolled by the speed of descent of the work.

3. In a well-drilling appliance, a work gripping means, rollersengageable with the work and rotatable by the descent thereof,a governordriven of the rollers, means controlled by the governor for holding thegripping means in inoperative position, and means for placing thegripping means in operative position upon release of the holding means.

4. In a well-drilling appliance, work gripping means, a support for saidgripping means movable to place the same in operative and inoperativepositions, a lever for operating said support, a spring for swinging thelever. in adirection to move the supweight opposing the action of thespring,

a suspension means for the counterweight,

posing the action of the spring, a suspension means for thecounterweight, a trigger carried by the lever and supporting thesuspension means, a detent engageable with the trigger for holding thesame in position to support. the suspension means, and means controlledby the speed of descent of the work for disengaging the detent from thetrigger.

6. In a well-drilling appliance, work gripping means, a support for saidgripping means movable to place the same in operative and inoperativepositions, a lever for operating said support, a spring for swinging thelever in a direction to move the support in a direction to place thegripping means in operative position, a counterweight opposing theaction of the spring, a suspension means for the counterweight, atrigger carried by the lever and supporting the suspension means, adetent engageable with the trigger for holding the same in osition tosupport the suspension means, rolls engageable with the work androtatable by the descent there- 'of, a governor driven by the rollers,and

means in operative position, a counterweight opposing the action of thespring, a suspension means for the counterweight, a trigger carried bythe lever and supporting the suspension means, a detent engageable withthe trigger for holding the same in position to support the suspensionmeans, rollers engageable with the work and rotatable by the descentthereof, a governor driven by the rollers, a winding drum driven by thegovernor, and detent disengaging line connected to the drum.

8. In a well-drilling appliance, a work gripping means, a pair ofrollers engageable with one side of the work, a second pair of rollersengageable with the opposite side of the work, a governor driven by thesecond pair of rollers, means controlled by the governor for holding thegrippin means in anoperative position, and means or placing the grippingmeans in operative position upon release of the holding means.

9. In a well-drilling appliance, a Work gripping means, a pair ofrollers engageable with one side of the work, a second pair of, rollersengageable with the opposite side of the work, said pairs of rollersbeing adjustable toward and from each other a governor driven by thesecond pair of rollers, means controlled by the governor for holding thegripping means in inoperative position, and means for placing thegripping means in operative position upon release of the holding means.

10. In a well-drilling appliance, a work gripping means, a pair ofrollers engageable with one side of the work, a second pair of rollersengageable with the opposite side of the work, said rollers beingcone-shaped with their smaller ends facing each other, a governor drivenby the second pair of rollers, means controlled by the governor forholding the gripping means in inoperative position, and means forplacing the gripping means in operative position upon release of theholding means.

11. In a well-drilling appliance, a work gripping means, a pair ofrollers engageable with one side of the work,-a second pair of rollersengageable with the opposite side of the work, said rollers beingcone-shaped with their smaller ends facing each other, shafts supportingthe rollers, and on which they with one side of the work, a second pairof rollers engageable with the opposite side of the work, said rollersbeing cone-shaped with their smaller ends facing each other, shaftssupporting the rollers, and on which the are longitudinall adjustable,said roller sliafts being adjusta le toward and from each other, agovernor drive-n by the second pair of rollers, means controlled by thegovernor for holding the gripping means in inoperative position, andmeans for placing the gripping means in operative position upon releaseof the holding means.

13. In a well-drilling appliance, 'a work gripping means, a pair ofrollers engageable with one side of the work, a second pair of rollersengageable with the opposite side of the work, a governor driven by thesecond pair of rollers, means controlled by the governor for holding thegripping means in inoperative position, means for placing the grippingmeans in operative position upon release of the holding means, and meansfor placing the rollers in gripping engagement with the work to preventrotation thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature.

JOSEPH F. OODY.

